The present invention relates to a cover device and more particularly to a device for covering the windshield and the window glass in the driver""s side and passenger""s side doors of an automotive vehicle.
Cover devices have been known for many years. Perhaps one of the first cover devices was merely an animal skin that early man placed over items that he wanted to protect. Today there are literally thousands of covers for many purposes. One category of cover devices are those that make use of a fabric such as canvas for protective purposes. Included in this category are tents, tarps for covering grain and the like.
Cover devices are known for use in covering portions of the automobile. These cover devices include canvas covers for automobiles. Such covers may be used in the storage of classic cars. Cover devices, typically referred to as sun shields, have been provided in the past for windshields to protect from the sun. The sun often raises the interior temperature of the automobile to extreme temperatures that cause damage to the interior of the automobile. The extreme temperatures may cause the polymer surfaces in the automobile to crack and/or discolor. The sun shields generally approximate the size of the interior of the windshield. The sun shields are generally trapped at the lower edge by the dashboard and along the upper edge by the small sun visors of the automobile.
Prior sun visors have certain inherent problems and shortcomings. For example, such sun visors typically do not fit snugly against the window and therefore a zone exists between the sun visor and the window where heat is created by the sun. This heated zone feeds hot air into the interior cab portion of the automobile. The sun visor may be easily dislodged and by merely falling out of place between the dashboard and the sun visors. The prior sun visors are not effective for protecting the windshield from frost, snow and/or freezing rain. The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a cover that may be lodged as a cover on the outside of the windshield. The present cover includes mechanism to securely lock the device in place, preventing unintentional dislodgment of the device from its protective location.
The present invention is a protective cover for an automotive windshield which overlies the outside surface of the windshield. The present automotive windshield may include a primary panel that approximates the size of the outer surface of the windshield, an upper panel that overlies the forward most portion of the roof surface and mechanism to lock the device in place. The locking mechanism may be a tab or panel the extends through the space between the closed door of the automobile and the frame around the door. A locking mechanism may be provided at each side edge of the device thereby securing the device at both of the closed doors of the automobile.
The present protective cover may include a pair of fabric layers, an inner layer disposed adjacent the windshield and an outer layer exposed to the weather during use. The fabric is desirably water repellant. The fabric may be decoratively colored with fade resistant dye. A heat transmitting sheet or member may be disposed between the inner layer and the outer layer. The heat transmitting member may be of any suitable material, such as a radiant barrier. A suitable radiant barrier is available from Astro-Foil of Lowell, Ind. under the designation Heatshield II. In a similar manner the windshield cover of the present invention may be placed over the rear window of the automobile with the flanges being locked in the rear doors of the automobile.